Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 721–732 of 2301 dinner recipes

Acaraje fritters served on a plate with dried shrimp, vatapa, caruru and tomato salad in Salvador, Bahia

Brazil 1h 25m

Snack & Tea •Bahian Street-Food Heritage

Acaraje

This acaraje recipe makes the Afro-Brazilian street food of Salvador, Bahia: black-eyed peas, soaked, peeled and ground with onion into a fluffy batter, then deep-fried in dendê — red palm oil — until the outside turns crisp and golden while the inside stays soft. Each fritter is split open and filled with creamy vatapá, dried shrimp and a sharp tomato salad, the way the baianas have sold them on the streets for generations. One serving is about 295 g.

Crisp, Spicy & Afro-Bahian

Acaraje is a crisp black-eyed pea fritter fried in red palm oil, split open and filled with vatapá, dried shrimp and tomato salad.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot and filled with vatapá, dried shrimp and tomato salad, with chilli sauce on the side.

Chicken tamales wrapped in corn husks, stained red from the chile sauce, in a takeaway container

Mexico 2h 45m

Dinner •Mexican Celebration Classic

Chicken Tamales

This chicken tamales recipe fills soft masa dough with shredded chicken simmered in a guajillo and ancho chile sauce, then steams the parcels in corn husks until the masa pulls cleanly away from the leaf. One serving is about 285 g (2 tamales).

Comfort & Warmth

Soft corn masa wrapped around red-chile chicken, steamed in corn husks until tender.

Pairs Well With
Mexican rice, refried beans and a spoonful of salsa verde

Three slices of grilled bruschetta topped with diced tomato and microgreens on a white plate

Italy 20m

Snack & Tea •Italian Antipasto Classic

Bruschetta

This bruschetta recipe grills thick slices of rustic bread until crisp, rubs them with raw garlic, and tops them with diced tomatoes marinated in olive oil, balsamic and fresh basil. One serving is about 195 g (2 slices).

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp grilled bread rubbed with garlic and piled with marinated tomatoes and basil.

Pairs Well With
A glass of white wine and a plate of olives

Quick Prep (<30m)

A whole golden quiche Lorraine with bacon pieces in the custard, in a glass dish

France 1h 45m

Lunch •Lorraine Bistro Classic

Quiche Lorraine

This quiche lorraine recipe bakes smoked bacon and Gruyère into a rich egg-and-cream custard inside a crisp, buttery pastry shell, until the top is golden and just set. One serving is about 135 g (1 slice of 8).

Comfort & Warmth

A buttery pastry shell filled with bacon, Gruyère and a silky egg-and-cream custard.

Pairs Well With
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette

Gambas al ajillo — shrimp in golden garlic oil with sliced garlic and parsley in a glass dish

Spain 15m

Dinner •Spanish Tapas Classic

Gambas al Ajillo

This gambas al ajillo recipe sizzles large shrimp in hot olive oil with thinly sliced garlic and dried chilli, then finishes them with dry sherry, parsley and lemon for a tapa that is ready in minutes. One serving is about 170 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Plump shrimp sizzled in olive oil with sliced garlic, dried chilli and a splash of sherry.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread for mopping up the garlic oil

High Protein • Quick Prep (<30m)

A bowl of miso ramen with cloudy golden-brown miso broth, sliced chashu pork, sweetcorn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, a halved soft egg and spring onions

Japan 1h 25m

Lunch •Sapporo Miso Style

Miso Ramen

This miso ramen recipe builds Sapporo's signature bowl: a rich chicken stock whisked with fermented white miso, then filled with fresh noodles, sliced chashu pork, sweetcorn, bean sprouts and a jammy egg. One serving is about 750 g.

Rich & Comforting

A deep, savoury fermented-miso broth with springy noodles, tender chashu, sweetcorn and a soft egg — Sapporo's warming bowl.

Pairs Well With
Gyoza, pickled ginger and iced green tea

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A plate of mango sticky rice with fanned slices of ripe mango over white glutinous rice, a small bowl of coconut cream and an orchid flower

Thailand 1h

Snack & Tea •Thai Street-Dessert Classic

Mango Sticky Rice

This mango sticky rice recipe pairs warm glutinous rice folded with sweetened coconut milk alongside slices of ripe mango, finished with a salty coconut sauce and toasted sesame. One serving is about 412 g.

Sweet & Comforting

Warm coconut sticky rice with ripe mango and a salty-sweet coconut sauce — Thailand's best-known dessert.

Pairs Well With
Thai iced tea, jasmine tea, fresh tropical fruit

A bowl of bun bo hue with round white rice noodles in reddish-brown spicy broth, sliced beef, pork hock, bean sprouts and chopped spring onions

Vietnam 3h

Lunch •Hue Imperial Soup

Bun Bo Hue

This bun bo hue recipe builds Hue's fiery noodle soup: a lemongrass and chilli beef broth, poured over round rice noodles with sliced beef shank, pork hock and pork sausage, then finished with herbs, bean sprouts and lime. One serving is about 872 g.

Spicy & Comforting

A fiery lemongrass-chilli beef broth with round noodles, beef shank, pork hock and fresh herbs — the signature soup of Hue.

Pairs Well With
Fresh herbs, bean sprouts and iced green tea

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A white bowl of egg drop soup with pale yellow egg ribbons in clear broth and dark green leafy vegetables

China 25m

Lunch •Chinese Home Soup

Egg Drop Soup

This egg drop soup recipe turns vegetable stock, beaten eggs and a little cornstarch into a silky Chinese soup — the eggs are drizzled in a thin stream so they set into delicate ribbons. One serving is about 370 g.

Light & Comforting

Silky egg ribbons in a clear, gently seasoned vegetable broth — China's simplest soup, ready in 25 minutes.

Pairs Well With
Dumplings, fried rice and jasmine tea

Soups & Broths • Quick Prep (<30m)

Thick slices of pork belly grilling on a round Korean grill pan with garlic cloves and a slice of onion

South Korea 35m

Dinner •Korean Barbecue Classic

Samgyeopsal

This samgyeopsal recipe grills thick slices of pork belly on a hot pan right at the table, then wraps the crisp-edged meat in lettuce leaves with kimchi, garlic and ssamjang. It is a loud, sociable dinner — everyone grills, cuts and wraps their own bites. One serving is about 364 g.

Hearty & Social

Thick pork belly grilled at the table and wrapped in lettuce with kimchi and ssamjang.

Pairs Well With
Steamed short-grain rice, kimchi and cold barley tea or beer

High Protein

Grilled Turkish kofte patties with char marks, served with rice pilav, grilled tomato, green peppers and grilled onion

Turkey 45m

Dinner •Turkish Grill Classic

Turkish Kofte

This Turkish kofte recipe mixes ground beef and lamb with grated onion, breadcrumbs and warm spices, then shapes the mixture into flat oval patties and grills them until charred outside and juicy inside. They arrive at the table with buttery pilav, grilled tomatoes and peppers, just like a Turkish grill house. One serving is about 453 g.

Hearty & Savoury

Beef and lamb patties seasoned with cumin and onion, grilled until charred and juicy.

Pairs Well With
Buttery Turkish pilav, grilled tomato and peppers, and a glass of ayran

High Protein

A bowl of creamy pale avgolemono soup with croutons, fresh parsley and a lemon wedge

Greece 1h

Dinner •Greek Home-Cooking Classic

Avgolemono Soup

This avgolemono soup recipe poaches chicken and rice in a gentle broth, then finishes it with avgolemono — the classic Greek egg and lemon sauce that turns the cooking liquid velvety, pale and bright. It is the soup Greek families reach for on cold evenings and when someone needs cheering up. One serving is about 389 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Tender chicken and rice in a light, silky lemon-egg broth.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, a simple Greek salad and lemon wedges

Soups & Broths

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

Afghanistan

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Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

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A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Dinner Ideas by Category

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Dinner Ideas by Region

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

What to Eat With What

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

Carotenoid Unlocking

Never wonder what’s for dinner again